335,600 people are to receive the pandemic unemployment payment this week.
It marks an increase of almost 58,000 on the figures recorded on December 22nd.
This week's payments cost the state more than €99 million.
It means over €5 billion euro has been spent on the PUP since the start of the pandemic.
During December 18th to 24th, 23,000 PUP applications were processed for workers who were laid off between those dates.
The Minister for Social Protection says it has been a very difficult period for these people.
Minister Heather Humphreys says "Every county has seen the number of people applying for PUP increase over the past two weeks and, similarly, there has been an increase in every sector applying for the payment over this period".
